


Kyoko Kirigiri's Sapphic Detective Agency

by giraffecentaurs



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Autistic Kirigiri Kyouko, Dialogue Heavy, F/F, Femslash February, Film Noir, HIM TOO SFHKLHFSFG, Past Relationship(s), Psychic Maizono Sayaka, She/Her Pronouns for Fujisaki Chihiro, Trans Fujisaki Chihiro, Trans Maizono Sayaka, Trans Naegi Makoto, bc i dont trust myself, im NOT tagging the other ships & charas til they appear, leons in this fic too but i didn't tag him bc i sorta slandered him, like a little bit, not rlly explored but keep it in mind, srry leon stans i needed conflict, these stories SHOULD b self contained but there will b continuity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:41:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29184936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giraffecentaurs/pseuds/giraffecentaurs
Summary: Crime in the lovelorn city of Tokyo never sleeps. For hardened private eye Kyoko Kirigiri, that means plenty of work. But God works in mysterious ways— after ten years of working on the scene, things still manage to surprise her. Who knew that her career, of all things, was what would draw her back to her old classmates.~~~Happy Femslash February 2021! Each chapter of this fic is going to be dedicated to exploring a F/F Kyoko ship with each girl from the first game!
Relationships: Kirigiri Kyoko & Naegi Makoto, Kirigiri Kyoko/Maizono Sayaka, Maizono Sayaka & Naegi Makoto
Kudos: 6





	Kyoko Kirigiri's Sapphic Detective Agency

"It's like I said, ma'am," she flashes a smile, "I'm psychic."

"It's an amusing bit, but certainly you don't expect it to hold up in court."

Her smile falters. "No, no, I don't suppose it will."

"So how _do_ you know?"

"Call it... good intuition."

"Good intuition. We're working on _good intuition."_

"Don't you always?" 

"Ms. Maizono, I use evidence based deductive reasoning. I don't strike on hunches." 

"Well, that's easy, then. All we have to do is find evidence." 

" _We?"_

"Of course; I hired you for this case, I ought to see it through."

"I work alone."

"Lucky for you," she gets up to leave, glancing back at Kyoko when she gets to the door, "I happen to be an expert in collaboration."

The Kirigiri Detective Agency does not deal in robberies, but it's hard to turn down Sayaka Maizono. Even harder to turn down Sayaka Maizono's purse.

"Horrible, isn't it? He really did a number on this place." She steps over a tipped chair, lifting her sequined gown to avoid snags. 

"Please add ambiguity to your assertions Ms. Maizono; we can't say for sure the perpetrator is a man."

"How many times do I have to tell you, it's Leon Kuwata. Leon. Kuwata. I'll write it down if you really keep forgetting."

Kyoko strolls around the room, examining the gashes. "Forgive me if I'm not convinced by your 'intuition.'" 

Admittedly, the crime scene _is_ particularly strange. Why would a simple burglar leave behind so much unnecessary evidence? There has to've been a struggle, though Maizono claims the incident happened whilst she was away. Moreover—

"Makoto's been letting me stay here since I received that horrible letter I gave you. I don't know how Leon found out; oh, I just feel so horrible about it."

"You knew what I was going to ask."

She giggled. "I already told you how."

"That's an impressive parlor trick." 

"It's no trick," she winks, "or is it?"

"And where is Mr. Naegi now?"

"Back at my penthouse, full security."

"You two must be awfully close."

"Yes, we've known each other since middle school. He saved me, you know."

"How so?"

She grins. "He turned me back into a human, after I spent a thousand years as a crane."

"You're not taking this very seriously, are you Ms. Maizono?"

"On the contrary, I'm dead serious. But please," she offers her hand, "since we're working together, call me Sayaka."

She shook it briefly. "Kyoko." 

“Y’know, Kyoko,” she leans in and whispers, “I always thought we would make fantastic friends.

"Sayaka Maizono. Twenty six, born July seventh. Net worth of ten million dollars. Became an overnight sensation out of seemingly nowhere at age fifteen. Graduated from—"

"Hope's Peak Academy," Kyoko drags on her cigarette. "But _we_ already knew that, Chihiro."

"I-I'll admit it's… been a little bit difficult to get more info on her..." she says sheepishly. "I guess we should've done a better job keeping in touch…" 

"Makoto and Kuwata. Anything on them we don't already know?"

"Not much to say for Naegi. Nothing but normal."

 _"How_ normal?"

Chihiro reviews the file. "...Troublingly normal. Office job, nine to five. Perfect record, takes one vacation a year, no sick days, no outstanding hospital visits, not even a speeding ticket."

"...With _his_ luck?"

"That... is a bit strange."

"What about Kuwata?"

"The life of a celebrity. Public indecency, noise complaints, destruction of property. He's been basically off the grid since… the day before the robbery. He even missed a game."

"How horribly coincidental."

"Undoubtedly, but… K-Kyoko, if you don't mind my asking, why did you have me look into Kuwata in the first place? If he hasn't been seen in days, that means he certainly wasn't seen in the area. I-I'll admit that doesn't count him out, but… it doesn't exactly count him in, either. Did you find something at the scene to implicate him?"

"That's just the thing, Chihiro," she puts out her cigarette, "I didn't find anything at all." 

"Uhm… Care to elaborate, ma'am?"

"Not a single hair, not a single bloodstain, not a single weapon. A perfectly destroyed apartment, tied up in a nice little bow, and for what? A novelty sword, a crystal paperweight, and the chance to meet Sayaka Maizono. But Maizono says its him for sure; isn't that odd?"

"What use would a man that rich have for those things, especially when—"

"He already knows her. Could've asked to see her outright, avoid potential stalking charges; she's not the type to refuse a visit from an old school friend."

"Unless… something else happened between them."

"Exactly," Kyoko smirks. "I think _that_ mystery will blow this case wide open."

"I’m sorry I couldn’t be more of a help, but it was awfully nice to see you again, Kyoko. Maybe…”

“Maybe…?”

“It’s silly but… maybe we could get dinner? Once you’re done with work? Y’know, for old times’ sake.”

She smiles. “I think _maybe_ I can make that work.”

Makoto’s face lights up. “Really?”

She walks over to the vanity. “After all, you still haven’t told me about your _real_ job.”

“W-What’re you talking about, Kyoko— I-I, I mean— I told you all about my—”

“Your cover. Yes, and it was fascinating. You must’ve practiced that speech a lot.” She picks up a music box, turns the crank, and watches the dancer spin. “You’ve always been a rotten liar.” She sets it down. “It’s endearing. Though, I’m guessing, not very practical for your current career.”

“W-well…” He blushes, bashful. Caught red handed. “Okay, alright, you got me. Should’ve known better than to try hiding things from you.”

“Indeed you should, but I understand why you did. I won’t take it personally… this time,” she smirks.

“Uh… Kyoko… should you really be messing with Sayaka’s stuff like that?”

“She’s been messing with _mine_ all week,” she grits her teeth.

Makoto laughs at her like she said something funny. “I’m surprised she’s not with you.”

Kyoko walks to the other side of the vanity. “...She had an event,” she pockets the paperweight she finds there.

“I thought she cancelled her events?”

“Couldn’t get out of it. Allegedly.” She opens the wardrobe, “What exactly is the relationship between you two, anyhow?”

“W-well it’s— W-What do you— What are you—”

“Just wondering if there were… say… any developments, since high school?”

“Kyoko! That was all the way back in first year! Of course it’s not— we’re not—”

Such a beautiful dress; a shame it’s got a torn hem. “Makoto, I’m not going to be offended that you moved on from a relationship we had _ten years ago.”_

“That’s not— I haven’t done that! I mean, shoot, yes, I have, obviously, but that doesn’t mean—”

“You’re acting awfully defensive.”

“Really, we aren’t— we’re good friends,” he looks away nervously. “...She’s… she’s made that perfectly clear.”

“Ouch.”

“It’s alright, we’re better as friends. We keep trying to make something work, but it never turns out. We’re thick as thieves, though.”

“And what about Kuwata?”

“Kuwata? Haven’t seen him since the reunion, why do you ask?”

“...She hasn’t told you.”

“Told me what?”

“Nothing.”

He eyes her with suspicion. “It’s not like you to show your hand this much. Is something wrong?”

“No, no, on the contrary,” she smiles at him, “old habits just seem to die hard. Now, I do believe you owe me dinner and an explanation as to how you stumbled, literally I can only assume, into a job for Japanese secret intelligence.”

He shakes his head and gets up. “I swear, between you and Sayaka, there’s no way for a man to hide anything!”

“Any evidence pointing to Kuwata yet?”

“Yes, in fact! Are you terribly impressed by my detective work, Kyoko? You’ve been such a delight that I may just quit singing and join you as a private eye.”

“I’ll determine that _after_ you show me what you found. It better be good, considering you dragged me all the way back here.”

“Naturally. This way.” She walks over to the fireplace. 

“I already checked there.”

“As did I, the first time around. It’s nearly indistinguishable in this dark. If only he’d had the courtesy to neglect the lights in his rampage.” She grabs the iron and pokes at a spot repeatedly, until something bunches. A piece of fabric. She catches it on the poker and brings it into the moonlight.

“A shirt cuff.”  
“ _With_ a cufflink. Japan Series champion commemorative cufflinks.”

“Interesting indeed. Do you mind if I bag this?”

“Go ahead.” 

Kyoko reaches into her pocket. “Oh, but, before I do,” she pulls out two bags: one empty, one with a crystal paperweight glimmering gently inside, “care to explain what _this_ was doing in your bedroom.” 

Sayaka seems amused by this play. “I should hope there’d be one in _your_ bedroom as well. Yasuhiro gave one to each of us, remember? Makoto’s was the one that was stolen, not mine.”

“You took that awfully well for someone who was suddenly accused of tampering with a crime scene.”

“In my defense, I saw it coming.”

“You can only be so many steps ahead.”

“One step, exactly one. All my life. It gets exhausting, knowing precisely what everybody thinks of you all the time. Do you think I haven’t known that I was your number one suspect this whole time, Kyoko? That from the moment I showed up at your doorstep you were laden with suspicion? If only you’d give _my_ suspicions the time of day, maybe then we'd get somewhere outside this circle we've been walking in.”

“You’re as innocent in my mind as anybody else is until they're proven guilty.”

“You can say anything you want, that doesn’t make it true to your subconscious.”

“My conscious is what’s solving this case, leave my subconscious out of it.”

“I thought, of all people, _you_ would be the one to sympathize. I’m a fool and a dunce,” she storms out onto the balcony. 

Kyoko lights her cigarette.

It's been half an hour. 

She leans against the siding and looks at the sky. No stars in the city.

Excluding the one standing next to her, anyhow. 

"Is the show over?"

"That depends, were you moved to tears?"

In the moonlight, she looks ethereal; her skin glows, her eyes glitter, her hair shines. Untouchable. Alien. 

In a word, perfect.

Sayaka sighs, turns away, and leans on the guardrail. "I'm a human being. Just like you, I'm a human being."

"Didn't say you weren't."

"But you thought it. Everybody thinks it."

Kyoko moves next to her, "Thought you were a crane." 

"I'm a person now."

"You've been a person the whole time."

"No, not when I was younger. Then, I was a nobody; I really used to be a crane, you know. A lost little bird that people ignored or even feared. I had to change a lot to get to somebody status." 

"And is this the person you wanted to become?"

"Yes and no. I'm everything I ever wanted to be and everything I ever wanted not to." 

"Maybe it's time to change again. Back into a bird, fly away and sing a different tune." 

"I'll never be a bird again, nor would I want to be. I'm a woman now, there's nothing better; even when the time comes to face the music." She walks back inside, all the way to the front door.

"Sayaka," Kyoko calls, causing her to pause. "You're right. I _can_ sympathize. With people forgetting your humanity." 

Her smile is sad. "I'm sorry. You don't deserve that."

She puts her cigarette out. Kyoko walks to her. "It's alright. Comes with the gig."

Sayaka grabs her hand softly. "But it shouldn't."

"No, it shouldn't." 

Slowly, Sayaka brings Kyoko's gloved hand to her lips. "Goodnight, Ms. Kirigiri." She drops it and leaves. 

"Three whole days. Did you finally decide to leave _my_ job up to _me_?"

"Sorry for not getting in contact sooner, I needed to... deal with things on my own for a little while."

Kyoko sifts through the photos of the crime scene for what feels like the hundredth time. "Well, are those things sufficiently 'dealt with?'"

Sayaka's groan is muffled a bit through the speaker. "No. That's why I called. I found Leon, but I can't get past the door. He's staying at his cousin's."

"...You attempted to approach a man who you believe to be a _violent_ _stalker."_

"I just thought it'd be better if _I_ talked to him first… let him know about the investigation and all." 

"That's remarkably stupid, even if you're lying."

"Are you always so incredibly kind, Kyoko?" 

She sighs. "Give me the address. I'll be right over." 

"I told you, go a— who are you?"

"Detective Kyoko Kirigiri," she flashes her ID. "You spoke to my secretary a few weeks ago. Is Leon Kuwata home?" 

The woman looks petrified. "Uhm, just a second, ma'am." She leaves, then comes back a few moments later, Kuwata in tow. 

"Kirigiri? Jesus, she's roped _you_ into this too?!"

"Excuse me, ma'am, but is it alright if you go to a different room while I talk to him? Confidentiality."

"Oh, uh. Alright! Call me if you need something," his cousin leaves.

He watches her leave before rapidly turning back to face Kyoko, voice low and words hasty. "Listen, Giri, that Maizono bitch is totally fuckin' insane. I don't know _what_ she told you, but—"

"It's alright, Kuwata. I'm here as a non-biased party."

"Oh."

"I'm going to ask you a few questions. Where were you on the night of January the sixteenth?"

"Celebrating my birthday. I had a few friends who couldn't make it the week before."

 _"Where?"_

"At the Kuma Club."

"Interesting. Are you aware that none of the staff at the Kuma Club say that they saw you that evening?"

"What?! Those fuckin' liars! Well, whatever, you can ask them, my friends— I was with, uh, Kazuichi Souda! And Mahiru Koizumi! You remember them, they went to school with us—" 

"They've also said they didn't see you. In fact, nobody's seen you since January fifteenth. At least, as far as anybody's said. Including, interestingly enough, one Ms. Kanon Nakajima. I imagine that's not the case, however; after all, from the looks of things, this isn't the first night you've been here."

"W-Wait a minute! T-thats—! These accusations are completely baseless!"

"I've made no accusations. I just want to know where you were. Where you _really_ were." 

"This is—! This is stupid! She's, she's got you in her court— she's—"

"Also a suspect. I need your side of this story."

"She's… she's a suspect?"

"Indeed."

"Alright. Okay. I'll tell you what happened."

"Where's Makoto?"

"Work."

"Should you be telling me that?"

"You already know what he does." 

"He's not very good at hiding it."

Sayaka laughs. She sits in her tête-à-tête. Kyoko walks to the vanity and cranks the music box.

"I quite like this song." 

"Thank you. I composed it." 

"Tell me, Sayaka," she sits on the other side, "do you think a bird's song sounds as beautiful when it's locked in a cage?" 

She leans back. "I wouldn't know. It seems cruel to test."

The music stops. 

"I let you talk to him because I figured it was inevitable. All my life, I've been exactly one step ahead. Nobody's been able to keep pace until you." 

Kyoko turns the crank. "That's not what I wanted to know."

"You were wondering why."

"True, but you picked the wrong why to answer. I want to know why you set Leon up in the first place? And Makoto? That's what doesn't make sense to me."

Sayaka looks at her, expression unreadable. For once, her smile is genuine. It's a bit scary. "How… oddly refreshing."

They sit for a little, not talking. The music plays on. Kyoko silently offers her a cigarette. She takes it and they smoke together.

"Leon knows things about me that the world can't. Not even my bandmates, and they're basically family. He wants to change gears, he hates baseball and wants to get into the music business. He threatened to tattle if I didn't get his foot in the door. It'd ruin my career, everything I'd done, all the sacrifices I've made… it would've been null and void. I couldn't let him win, though. If I let him do it once, he'd hang it over my head for the rest of my life. So I took matters into my own hands. I invited him over to Makoto's under the guise of offering him a feature on my next album. Made sure to tell him to keep it on the down low, said it'd be more popular if it were a surprise. He was supposed to be caught unconscious at Makoto's with stolen goods on him, get arrested while baselessly accusing me, I show the letter, nobody ever believes a word out of his mouth about me again. But things went south. We fought each other He got the upper hand. I threw the paperweight, but he batted it back at me with the sword. I pass out, he leaves, takes the sword with him, I have to get rid of the paperweight because it has blood on it and come up with a new plan before he squeals."

"Why Makoto's apartment? Why not here?" 

"Makoto's low profile by necessity. People would notice Leon Kuwata walking out of my place. Paparazzi would be all over it, especially if I tried to claim I wasn't there at all. Plus, if things went really wrong, well… Makoto's got his own things to hide, it'd be assumed it was him acting under government necessity, he'd get pardoned."

"You think he'd take that bullet for you."

"He would, if I told him why."

"You're probably right."

"I'm definitely right," she exhales smoke. "I'm not sure how I feel about that, honestly. It makes me feel icky inside. Is it weird that I'm almost happy it turned out this way instead? He'll finally know I'm fallible. Get me off of that goddamn pedestal." 

"It'll be a hefty fine. Maybe jail time. Definitely a hit to your reputation."

"That used to be my worst fear. Now, I don't think I care."

"If that were true, you'd be telling this to the police, not me."

"You can bring it up in court if you like. I'll deny it till the day I die. But," she snuffs her cig out in her ashtray, "I figured, I've wasted enough of your time. You deserve to know the truth." 

Kyoko sets the music box down. "For what it's worth," she places her hand on Sayaka's jaw, softly pushing her to look in Kyoko's direction. "I didn't think it was a waste."

Sayaka sadly smiles. She takes Kyoko's hand, and presses it to her lips once more. "I always knew we'd make fantastic friends." 

Kyoko smiles back. She gets up, leans over, and whispers in her ear. "Goodnight, Ms. Maizono. Good luck on your case." She kisses her lightly, frees her hand, and leaves.

Chihiro gingerly places a newspaper on Kyoko's desk. "Uh.. you'll want to read this one."

Kyoko gives the page a once over. "Woof. That's a big settlement."

"With all due respect, I'm a little surprised you dropped the investigation. That much money, there must've been a pretty juicy backstory there."

"What can I say," Kyoko smirks. "The people involved wouldn't talk, there was nothing else I could do. After all," she flips through the pages, "I'm not a mind reader."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies! Happy Femslash Feb! This one goes out to all my Kyoko multishippers in the audience this evening. We love to see it! I've got a rough idea of where I'm going with this and I'm gonna try rlly hard to get to everybody. I'm going for kinda a serious TV show vibe, did you think I pulled it off? Thank you very much for reading, and please leave any questions/thoughts in the comments! See you soon!


End file.
